Nick Saban didn’t just offer a compliment for Mississippi State’s new defensive coordinator - he laid out exactly why Zach Arnett can make life miserable for an offense.
Speaking at SEC Media Days, Saban praised Jeff Lebby’s decision to bring Arnett back to Starkville, pointing to a scheme that forces problems snap after snap.
“This guy has a defensive scheme that is a pain in the butt to prepare for and play against and creates a lot of negative plays and puts a lot of pressure on the offense,” Saban said during SEC Media Days. “And you don’t need like great big physical dominant type guys to play his scheme.
So I think this is going to be really important in them taking the next step. … [I]f they improve the defense and they can maintain what they’ve done on offense, and they’ve got some good players to do it, they’re gonna make a huge improvement and give lots of people lots of problems.”
Arnett is back at Mississippi State after serving as Lebby’s predecessor as the Bulldogs’ full-time head coach. He was dismissed during the 2023 season.
His first run in Starkville began in 2020, when he joined Mike Leach’s staff as defensive coordinator. After Leach’s death in 2022, Mississippi State elevated Arnett to full-time head coach. Weeks later, he guided the Bulldogs to a ReliaQuest Bowl victory to finish the 2022 season.
Arnett lasted 10 games into the 2023 season before being fired. During that stretch, Saban’s Alabama teams faced Mississippi State all four seasons Arnett was in Starkville.
After leaving Mississippi State, Arnett spent the last two seasons as an analyst - at Ole Miss in 2024 and at Florida State in 2025.
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